THAILAND: APEC 2017: Voices Of The Future Issues Declaration For Youth

ALBANIA: Connecting Youth: The Other

Convergence Engine Of Western Balkans

ITALY: Training Seminar On Combating

Antigypsyism And Online Hate Speech

SWITZERLAND: Promoting Youth Rights

At The UN

UKRAINE: Youth Learnt Innovative

Practices Of Democratization And

Advocating For Human Rights

UNITED KINGDOM: Youth

Representative To Join New UK Development

AUSTRALIA: CITI Broadens Youth

Unemployment Scheme

FIJI: Youth Scheme

GUAM: Youth Surfers Compete

SAMOA: Keep Our Youth Here To Work The Land

VANUATU: Vanuatu Hopes Of Battling

Youth Crime On National Ids

BOTSWANA: Football Association Has Launched The Elite Youth League

CONGO: Congo Basin Youth Spotlight Their Work Protecting Fragile Forest

ETHIOPIA: AFIDEP At Policy Dialogue On Youth, Violence And Development

SOUTH AFRICA: Young Volunteers To Empower Communities

ZIMBABWE: The Economic Case For Youth Financial Education

ARGENTINA: IV Global Conference On The

Sustained Eradication Of Child Labour, Buenos

Aires

BELIZE: Belize Hosts The World Youth

Conference 2017

BRAZIL: Brazil To Invest R$157 Million In

Program For Rio’s Favela Youth

CANADA: Top Execs Sleep Out And Raise Over $1 Million For Homeless Youth

ECUADOR: Parliament Of Youth Students Of Salesian Schools

MALAYISA: Youths Most Concerned About

Education, Affordable Housing, Transportation,

Jobs – Khairy

NEPAL: Youth Look For Those With

Development Agenda

PHILIPPINES: Engaging The Youth

SINGAPORE: 180 Young Achievers Receive

Awards From President Halimah

In Today’s Bulletin

NOVEMBER 2017

AFRICA

AMERICA

ASIA

EUROPE

PACIFIC

INFO

UPCOMING EVENTS FOR DECEMBER 2017

DATE EVENT LOCATION

1 December 2017 World AIDS Day Melaka, Malaysia

3 December 2017 International Volunteers Day for Economic and Social Development

Melaka, Malaysia

5 December 2017 International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development

Melaka, Malaysia

9 December 2017 International Day for Disaster Reduc-tion

Melaka, Malaysia 9 December 2017 International Anti– Corruption Day Melaka, Malaysia

10 December 2017 Human Rights Day Melaka, Malaysia

18 December 2017 International Migrants Day Melaka, Malaysia

20 December 2017 International Human Solidarity Day Melaka, Malaysia

Africa News NOVEMBER 2017

Gaborone, 10 November

2017 - ACCORDING to the

BFA official website, the

project is the second phase

of the association's Youth

Development plan.

The Elite Youth League, as

a pilot project, will be

played firstly in the eastern

side of the country where

the BFA centres are mostly

located.

The project will move to

adopt schools in the western

side with time and it will

see the return of the Schools

of Excellence in 2018

which will be critical.

"We are hopeful that the

players we are grooming

will also help us qualify for

major development

tournaments at under 17 and

20 in the continent between

now and 2020 Tokyo

Olympics,” BFA President

Maclean Letshwiti said.

Mr Letshwiti, who was

speaking at the launch,

urged schools and parents to

support and encourage their

children to take part in this

project.

He said football is a new

employer nowadays and has

high rate of reducing

unemployment in our

country.

[The Voice]

BOTSWANA: FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION HAS LAUNCHED THE ELITE YOUTH LEAGUE

CONGO: CONGO BASIN YOUTH SPOTLIGHT THEIR WORK PROTECTING FRAGILE FOREST

Brazzaville, 9 November

2017 – YOUTH groups

working in Africa’s Congo

Basin countries are

supporting economic

progress in isolated rural

communities while

protecting the forest, and it

is high time their voices

were heard, a young woman

at the United Nations

Climate Change Conference

(COP23) in Bonn,

Germany, said Thursday.

“Young people in the

Congo Basin have been

doing things on the ground

that often go ignored,”

explained Marie Tamoifo,

President of the Cameroon

Green Youth Association

(Association de la Jeunesse

verte du Cameroun AJVC)

and Regional Coordinator

of the Youth Network for

sustainable management of

forest ecosystems in Central

Africa (Réseau des jeunes

pour la gestion durable des

écosystèmes forestiers

d’Afrique centrale -

REJEFAC) in an interview

with UN News.

REJEFAC brings together

youth organizations from 10

Congo Basin countries

Burundi, Cameroon, Gabon,

Equatorial Guinea, Central

African Republic,

Democratic Republic of

Congo, Republic of Congo,

Rwanda, Sao Tome and

Principe and Chad).

Its aim is to promote the

effective participation of

young environmental actors

in decision-making in the

Congo Basin and “to

contribute to the emergence

in the region of a new type

of leadership, more

sensitive and open to the

requirements of sustainable

development.”

“[As for] actions on the

ground, there are

reforestation, awareness and

education programmes for

young people. It's about

strengthening the work that

is done by governments,”

said Ms. Tamoifo

[DRC Daily News]

ETHIOPIA: AFIDEP AT POLICY DIALOGUE ON YOUTH, VIOLENCE AND DEVELOPMENT

Addis Ababa Ethiopia, 6

November 2017 -

THE International

Development Research

Centre (IDRC) and the

United Nations

Development

Programme (UNDP) are

hosting a policy dialogue on

youth, violence and

development.

The objective of the

dialogue is to develop and

strengthen a research

agenda which seeks to

encourage collaborative

work as well as inform

evidence-driven policies

that address the challenges

facing young people in

Africa.

The policy dialogue is

taking place from 6-7

November 2017 in Addis

Ababa, Ethiopia.

Attending the dialogue are

various development stake-

holders including

policymakers, academia,

civil society and

development agencies.

Representing AFIDEP at

the policy dialogue are Dr.

Eliya Zulu, the Executive

Director, AFIDEP

and Eunice Mueni,

Knowledge Translation

Officer. Dr. Zulu shall be a

panelist at a talk show

which shall deliberate the

youth perspectives on the

socio-economic dimensions,

costs and consequences of

violence.

It is expected that following

this session, participants

shall identify actions and

challenges facing youths in

socio-economic policy and

programming spaces; and

there shall be emphasis on

the need for inclusion of

youths in development

processes, peace-building

and violence prevention.

The opening remarks at the

dialogue shall be made

by H.E. Ambassador, Mr.

Phillip Baker, and High

Commissioner of Canada in

Ethiopia who will

outline Canada’s priorities

for Africa on youth, gender,

and inclusive development.

Ms Prudence Nonkululeko

Ngwenya, Head of the

African Union Commission

Youth Division will also

make opening remarks and

discuss the African Union’s

priorities on youth, with

reference to the 2017

theme, Harnessing the

Demographic Dividend.

[Addis Neger]

Africa News NOVEMBER 2017

SOUTHAFRICA: YOUNG VOLUNTEERS TO EMPOWER COMMUNITIES

Cape Town, 3 November

2017 - TO help advance

youth economic

empowerment, Vodacom

has given a facelift to

Vodacom Change the

World by relaunching the

programme as an

information and

communication technology

(ICT) and youth

volunteerism initiative.

Vodacom Change the

World helps create

work-experience

opportunities for young

people, who in turn will use

their skills and time to give

back to their communities

through the non-profit

organisations (NPOs) of

their choice.

The selected candidates are

placed at these NPOs for a

year across all nine

provinces. Each NPO

receives a grant and the

volunteer a monthly stipend

during the partnership.

On Thursday November 2

at Gallagher Convention

Centre in Midrand, 20

young professionals were

announced as the 2017

intake.

They are excited and

looking forward to starting

their projects and giving

back to South Africa’s

communities.

The Vodacom Change the

World programme was

introduced in 2011, giving

individuals the opportunity

to volunteer their time and

skills to work for a NPO for

12 months. To date, 111

volunteers have already

made a difference through

their placement at a range of

NPOs.

Takalani Netshitenzhe,

chief officer of corporate

affairs at Vodacom Group,

said: “Statistics released by

Statistics South Africa in

August this year indicate

that youth unemployment is

at its highest since 2003,

with more than 50% of the

youth between the ages of

15 and 24 jobless.

In a contracting economy,

the prospects of addressing

this challenge of

unemployment at a faster

pace are dim.

It is against this background

that Vodacom revised the

volunteer programme in

order to contribute to

national youth development

programmes.

“Through the Change the

World programme, the

youth are afforded a unique

opportunity to do something

close to their hearts while

imparting their ICT skills to

help society.

As the impacts of the fourth

industrial revolution are

going to be felt hardest by

the youth and women in

particular, we see this as an

opportunity to help bridge

the digital divide in

communities while

preparing young people for

a future in a fast-digitising

world.

“In this first youth intake, I

am pleased to see that 60%

are women and 70% of the

ICT projects will focus on

education.

Accordingly, through this

programme Vodacom is

also contributing to the

attainment of several

interrelated sustainable

development goals.”

Netshitenzhe said she was

confident that on

completion of the

programme, the 20 youth

volunteers would be armed

with vital work experience,

enhanced skills,

self-fulfillment and access

to networks that will create

more opportunities for them

to contribute to economic

development in South

Africa.

[Brand Voice]

ZIMBABWE: THE ECONOMIC CASE FOR YOUTH FINANCIAL EDUCATION

Harare, 3 November 2017 -

BUILDING a financially

inclusive ecosystem on a

sustainable basis requires

the involvement of a key

constituency in the

economy; the children and

youth.

One cannot talk of financial

inclusivity without

addressing the challenges of

involving the young in the

discussion and practice of

financial inclusion.

Children and youth are both

current and future social

and economic actors, whose

decisions will influence the

development of their

societies.

The recent global financial

crises, in various ways

highlighted the importance

of promoting social

responsibility and

developing skills in

financial management for

all persons, across all

nations.

This is especially true for

children and youth, who are

particularly vulnerable.

Important values of

citizenship and skills in

managing financial

resources at an early age

can lessen social and

financial vulnerability,

thereby, reducing the risk of

poverty caused by both lack

and debt burdens later in

life.

This discussion is as

important for any country as

it is for Zimbabwe, which is

why key stakeholders in the

economy such as banks in

Zimbabwe, are not only

opening and encouraging

discourse on the matter, but

exploring tangible ways of

making financial inclusion a

long-term reality in the

country and the region.

It is, however, important to

note that there is a vast

body of knowledge and

experience that has already

been built by organisations

such as the United Nations

Children’s Fund and the

Child Youth and Finance

International, that have

helped devise workable

models for rolling out finan-

cial inclusion programmes

in environments such as

ours.

As such, there is no need for

financial inclusion practitio-

ners to reinvent the wheel,

but they should seek to re-

model the tools already de-

veloped to suit the local

conditions and economic

circumstances.

Africa News NOVEMBER 2017

The starting point of

discourse is naturally

agreeing on the globally

acceptable definitions of

social and financial

education.

While there is some

reluctance to exposing

children to financial

concepts at too early an age,

there are considerable

benefits to introducing

financial education while

young people are still in a

process of formulating

personal financial

behaviours.

Research has shown that

there is a direct relationship

between the age of learners

and behavioural changes.

In light of this, financial

education that is introduced

early in life is more likely to

be retained, which,

therefore, increases

financial knowledge and

literacy later in life.

These behaviours such as

respect for financial

contracts, saving and

managing financial

resources, productivity and

enterprise always prove

invaluable in life for the

individuals and society at

large.

A good financial education

package, therefore,

addresses the learning needs

of children along their

entire social development

continuum from infancy,

through adolescence and

young adulthood.

Exposing and connecting

children to financial service

providers at an early age

allows them to recognise

the role that such

institutions play in society.

By applying the lessons

learned through financial

education in the classroom

in real life situations,

children can take greater

control over the

development of their

financial capability.

Linking youth with

financial services providers

should include both

financial and

complementary “non-

financial services”, such as

mentoring, which ensures

that young people are able

to “better navigate” the

challenges involved with

learning to save, managing

their own money, starting a

business and managing the

risks that might prevent

them from achieving their

goals.

The learning environment in

schools lends itself well in

growing children in

developing their basic

skills.

However, such learning

should be reinforced with

practical activities such as

the formation of savings

clubs, where children

participate and get the

hands-on feel of the

theoretical training.

In Zimbabwe, one of our

member banks is also

involved with UNICEF, in

promoting the Child

Friendly Budget Initiative

with junior

parliamentarians.

Various other banks in the

country are offering child

friendly and youth banking

products.

Such programmes, aimed at

involving the future leaders

and economic players in the

country make an invaluable

contribution to the overall

long-term financial

inclusion agenda and should

be supported.

[News Day]

America News NOVEMBER 2017

Buenos Aires, 14 November

2017 - SINCE 1997,

countries around the world

have shared knowledge on

policies and good practices,

and have committed to

eliminate child labour in a

series of global conferences

held in Oslo (1997), The

Hague (2010) and Brasilia

(2013).

The IV Global Conference

on the Sustained

Eradication of Child Labour

will be organized by the

Government of Argentina

and will be held in Buenos

Aires on 14-16 November

2017.

While significant progress

has been made globally in

the fight against all forms of

child labour between 2000

and 2012, 1 with ILO

constituents having

increasingly adopted and

implemented integrated

strategies and coordinated

policies to combat child

labour the goal that was set

to eliminate it in its worst

forms by 2016 was not

achieved.

Under the Sustainable

Development Goals (SDG)

of the 2030 Agenda, UN

Member States, employers’

and workers’ organizations,

as well as civil society or-

ganizations, are urged to

eliminate child labour by

2025, and forced labour,

modern slavery and human

trafficking by 2030.

In order to contribute to

this goal, the ILO

launched Alliance 8.7, a

global partnership designed

to align the efforts of those

working towards the

achievement of SDG Target

8.7.

In this framework, it was

agreed that the IV Global

Conference should cover

both the sustained

eradication of child labour

and the elimination of

forced labour and, in this

context; it will also address

the issue of the quality of

youth employment.

[http://www.ilo.org]

ARGENTINA: IV GLOBAL CONFERENCE ON THE SUSTAINED ERADICATION OF CHILD

LABOUR, BUENOS AIRES

BELIZE: BELIZE HOSTS THE WORLD YOUTH CONFERENCE 2017

Belmopan, 16 November

2017 - THROUGH the 9th,

the World Youth

Conference (WYC) 2017

was held at The Ramada

Belize Princess Hotel in

Belize City.

It was the first time that the

conference was held in the

Caribbean Region and

Central America, and Belize

was honored to host the

prestigious event.

The conference included

250 national, regional and

international youth leaders

under the theme: “Globally

Running to 2030, Becoming

Sustainably Strong.”

The group focused on

giving a voice to the youth

through a transitional

deliberation on how to

make the post-2015

development agenda a

reality.

This involved four days of

panel, roundtable

discussions, workshops, and

musical and cultural

presentations on various

community, national and

international youth-related

issues and sustainable

development.

The Sustainable

Development Goals

(SDG’s), known as the

Global Goals, were the

highlight of the conference,

calling on universal action

to end poverty, protect the

planet and ensure that all

people enjoy peace and

prosperity.

The 17 SDG’s were

developed in 2015 as part of

the wider 2030 Agenda for

sustainable development

based on the success of the

Millennium Development

Goals (MDG) under the

United Nations

Development Programmer

(UNDP).

They provide clear

guidelines and targets for all

countries to adopt in

accordance with their own

priorities and the

environmental challenges of

the world at large.

The goals also tackle the

root causes of poverty and

aim to make positive

changes for both people and

planet. The 17 SDG’s are

expected to be achieved by

all nations by the end of

2030.

However, achieving the

SDG’s requires the

partnership of government,

the private sector, civil

society, and citizens.

[The Reporter]

BRAZIL: BRAZIL TO INVEST R$157 MILLION IN PROGRAM FOR RIO’S FAVELA YOUTH

Rio De Janeiro, 14 Novem-

ber 2017 – BRAZIL’s

federal government

launched the Emergency

Program for Social Actions

in Rio de Janeiro on

Monday, announcing

investments of R$157

million to stimulate the

participation of young

people in sports, cultural

and technology activities

and keep youngsters away

from crime in some of Rio’s

poorest favela communities. “When I see the preparation

of those who now practice

sport and who find in sport

a means of social

integration, I see that the

basic idea is the idea of

peace,” declared Brazil’s

President Michel Temer,

who along with Rio’s

governor Luiz Fernando

Pezão and Rio’s mayor

Marcelo Crivella

participated in the

ceremony.

“We have a huge military

force helping to deal with

organized crime,” said

Social Development

Minister Osmar Terra

during the announcement

ceremony.”(But) If we do

not change the social

structure; we do not

improve people’s lives, this

has a temporary effect,”

added Terra.

According to officials

approximately 50,000

children and youths, from 6-

17 years of age, will benefit

from the program.

America News NOVEMBER 2017

The objective is to reduce

violence in these

communities, located in the

capital and throughout the

metropolitan region through

activities such as dances,

games and courses. Officials say the

investments in sports will

help with the purchase of

sports equipment, uniforms,

hiring of teachers and

monitors, improvement of

facilities and food to

beneficiaries until

December 2018.

For education, efforts will

be increased to identify

children and adolescents

who are out of school and

bring them back to the

classroom. “When I see the preparation

of those who now practice

sport and who find in sport

a means of social

integration, I see that the

basic idea is the idea of

peace,” declared.

Brazil’s President Michel

Temer, who along with

Rio’s governor Luiz

Fernando Pezão and Rio’s

mayor Marcelo Crivella

participated in the

ceremony. Among the ten favela

communities contemplated

to receive the funds are

Rocinha, Complexo do

Alemão, Complexo da

Maré, and Complexo do

Salgueiro (São Gonçalo). In

recent months the people in

these communities have

reported increased criminal

activities and drug gang

wars. [The Rio Times]

CANADA: TOP EXECS SLEEP OUT AND RAISE OVER $1 MILLION FOR HOMELESS YOUTH

Toronto, 17 November

2017 – Over 70 of

Toronto’s business and

community leaders slept out

last night and raised an

astounding more than $1

million in support of

homeless youth who depend

on Covenant House To-

ronto.

With only a sleeping bag

and a piece of cardboard,

participants in the 6th

annual Covenant House

Sleep Out: Executive

Edition took the grand total

to over $6 million for all

Sleep Out events.

Participants included NHL

alumnus Paul Coffey;

Maureen Jensen, chair and

chief executive officer of

the Ontario Securities

Commission; Doug Mizzi,

president, TJX Canada; Ana

Dominguez, president,

Campbell Company of

Canada; and David Bradt,

executive director, CIBC

Global Markets, who got a

small glimpse of the hard-

ships kids can face on the

street.

Bruce Rivers, Covenant

House Toronto executive

director who also slept out,

says that as many as 250

young people depend on the

agency’s support every

day.

“We are most grateful to the

business community for

such generous support of

what participants describe

as a life-changing

experience,” Rivers says.

“Spending a chilly and

uncomfortable night outside

helps to shine a light on the

plight of homeless youth

and raise the necessary

funds to help us give our

kids the support they need

to build better futures.”

Covenant House Toronto is

Canada’s largest agency

serving at-risk, homeless

and trafficked youth

offering a wide range of

services and support.

To do all this, the agency

relies on donors for more

than 80 per cent of its $27

million annual operating

budget. Since opening its

doors in 1982, Covenant

House has served almost

95,000 young people.

[Covenant House Toronto]

ECUADOR: PARLIAMENT OF YOUTH STUDENTS OF SALESIAN SCHOOLS

CUMBAYÁ, 17 November

2017 – "Youth who

Transform Education" was

the theme of the Parliament

of Young Students of

Salesian Schools, which

took place from 7 to 9

November in San Patricio,

Cumbaya.

Coordinated by the National

Youth Directory, the

meeting was attended by 58

young students of the

Salesian educational cen-

ters, and was opened by Fr

Marcelo Chávez, President

of the National Council for

Salesian Education

(CONESA).

The objective of this

experience was to create a

space for reflection and

debate on the issues

regarding the young

students and to provide an

experience of democracy

wherein young people could

exercise their rights to

participation and freedom of

expression.

[Hoy]

Asia News NOVEMBER 2017

MALAYISA: YOUTHS MOST CONCERNED ABOUT EDUCATION, AFFORDABLE HOUSING,

TRANSPORTATION, JOBS – KHAIRY

Kuala Lumpur, 9 November

2017 - AFFORDABLE

housing, transportation and

job opportunities remain of

the greatest concern to

youths, judging from the

topics most discussed \

during the National

Transformation 2050

(TN50) dialogues.

Youth and Sports Minister

Khairy Jamaluddin said,

other than equal education

for all, these were the topics

raised in every one of the

dialogue sessions.

He said, so far, he had

received 81,000 aspirations

which will be compiled at

the end of December into a

report in January.

“If the report and its

recommendations are

approved, then we’ll start to

roll out in stages beginning

in September next year,” he

said.

Khairy was speaking at a

TN50 dialogue session

organised by Khazanah

Nasional Bhd’s Young

Talents today. Also present

at the dialogue session was

Khazanah Nasional Bhd

managing director Tan Sri

Azman Mokhtar.

“From the data we have

gathered so far, we know

that all Malaysians want a

globally competitive

Malaysia in terms of

research and development.

Other than that, they want a

good and standardized

education system, equality,

fair and just treatment, and

most commonly, a

developed yet

compassionate Malaysia in

2050,” he said.

Khairy, who took about 30

aspirations from the crowd,

said technological change

was inevitable and the

country needed to find ways

to educate and prepare the

children holistically to face

these challenges.

“The changes taking place

are not only in Malaysia but

around the world. TN50 is a

preparation for our future

generations, so that we are

not left out in terms of

facing the world’s future

demands.”

Azman said Khazanah

Nasional, through Yayasan

Khazanah and Khazanah

Research Institute (KRI),

was currently funding 30

NGOs on various projects

to equip youths for 2050.

“We have been with the

government on many of

their projects including the

new economy policy,

privatisation of GLCs and

now the TN50,” he said,

adding that they hope to

positively contribute to

TN50.

Azman said KRI and the

TN50 secretariat, together

with another NGO, are

expected to meet over a few

of the proposals soon.

The TN50 discourse series,

which is the brainchild of

Prime Minister Datuk Seri

Najib Razak, is aimed at

gathering the views and

hopes of the people,

particularly the youth, to

generate a new, 30-year

transformation plan for the

country that truly reflects

the people’s vision.

About 500 youths from

seven government linked

companies such as Telekom

Malaysia, Malaysia

Airlines, UEM, Axiata took

part in the session today.

[New Straits Times Online]

NEPAL: YOUTH LOOK FOR THOSE WITH DEVELOPMENT AGENDA

Kathmandu, 5 November

2017 - THE youth seem to

be demanding not just

physical infrastructure but

investments in the field of

information technology,

sports and culture which,

they say, foster inclusive

development in the hills.

According to the District

Election Office, the district

has around 8,000 new

voters for the provincial and

federal polls. Some 6,000 of

them are believed to be in

the age group 18 to 32

years.

“Promises of development

in transportation, health and

education are not enough.

The leaders should think

beyond that,” Kabi Raj

Mishra, 20, of the Panchthar

district headquarters told the

Post.

They expect leaders to

promote information

technology, among others,

for the development of the

entire region.

Mishra said he does not

back the political ideology

or influence of his family as

he feels it is due to the

traditional mindset that

development has simply not

taken off in the hills. “But

again, one will have to

choose between the

candidate of either the

Nepali Congress or the left

alliance to realise the dream

of seeing a prosperous

Panchthar,” Mishra said.

Umesh Raphal, 27, of

Falgunanda Rural

Municipality expects

employment generation in

the region from elected

representatives.

Even as economic

indicators of the district do

not pale in comparison,

Panchthar lags behind in the

sectors of health and

education.

“Completion of the federal

and provincial polls will

cement the positions of the

elected representatives at all

levels. This is why I’ll be

choosing individual

candidates over a party or

an alliance,” Falgunanda

said.

While picking a candidate,

Raphal says, he will also

look at his or her past track

record. “I feel time has

come for young voters like

me to elect fresh candidates

and make them

accountable,” he said,

adding that most of his

friends have been to the

foreign soil, mostly the

Middle East, for work.

Asia News NOVEMBER 2017

Manju Nembang, 30, too

feels that young voters

should make conscious

choice rather than jumping

on the bandwagon.

This will be her third voting

experience after the second

Constituent Assembly

elections and the recently

held local polls.

For her, the upcoming polls

are not just another election

but an event that would

institutionalise the new

constitution which will

allow the nation as a whole

to embark on the path of

development.

NC Candidate Bhisma Raj

Angdambe, UML leader

Basanta Nembang from the

left alliance and Prem

Lawoti of the Sanghiya

Samajbadi Forum Nepal are

in the fray.

In the recently held local

elections, the left alliance

garnered around 40,000

votes in total while the NC

settled for around 28,000

votes. The Upendra

Yadav-led Forum got 1,400

votes.

Of the seven rural

municipalities and one

municipality in Panchthar,

the NC had won the top

posts of three rural

municipalities and the

municipality.

The UML won the chair in

three rural municipalities

while the Maoist Centre had

victory at one local federal

unit.

[The Kathmandu Post]

Manila, 7 November 2017 -

WE innovated our regular

programs to make them

more effective in addressing

the specific needs of Makati

youth.

We redesigned our program

offerings to reflect the

nature and needs of the job

market and the business

sector.

We conceptualized and

implemented new

innovative programs that

changed the landscape of

Philippine education

delivery.

We championed innovation

in education because we

understood that our children

are different and so the way

we deliver education cannot

be the same.

We broke down the barriers

between the academe and

industries because we were

cognizant of how the young

understand the world that

education must lead to a

meaningful professional

life.

As such, there must be no

disconnect between the kind

of education they receive to

the demands of the

workplace they wish to be

part of.

Today University of Makati

offers more than 30 degree

and non-degree programs in

business; education, allied

health services, governance

and public policy, and

caters to over 17,000

students. Our city invested

P1.2 billion as annual

budget for the university, an

amount bigger than the

entire budget of most

provinces in the Philippines.

We embraced education-for

-employment and education

-for-development,

understanding that investing

in our youth is the most

valuable investment we can

make.

Private institutions must

continue to work in research

and program development

to create opportunities for

participation.

The challenge of the private

sector is to engage the

young in programs where

they can further develop

their skills, but also create

meaningful change in

society.

Both public and private

institutions must invest in

programs that will not only

bring together the youth

through online platforms

but also physically bring

them all together to

personally exchange ideas

and participate in discourse.

The national hero of the

Philippines, Dr. Jose Rizal,

has a well-known statement

about the youth. He said

“the youth is the hope of

our nation.”

This is true but I wish to

take this further and say that

in today’s globalized world,

the youth is not only the

hope of the future.

And so, participation and

inclusion must be our

fundamental strategy in

engaging the youth.

The world is in no shortage

of innovative ideas.

Nourishing youth leaders

must mean listening to their

ideas. It must mean creating

the opportunities for them

to realize these ideas.

There must be no waiting

time for them to have the

means and opportunities to

change the world, no

turning over of the mantle

of leadership.

We must let the youth have

a seat at our regional table

and engage them in our

efforts to cultivate and

strengthen our regional

communities.

They must be part of the

agenda-setting, the

development of the

mechanisms to address the

diverse issues we face, as

well as the collective action

needed to effectively

achieve our common goals.

More than that, we must be

ready to break barriers the

same way that digital

inclusion has broken down

barriers for the youth.

We no longer just pave the

way for the youth of today;

we must pave it along with

them.

I hope and pray that we may

all continue to work

together to nurture young

leaders who will change the

world for a better tomorrow.

[Manila Bulletin]

PHILIPPINES: ENGAGING THE YOUTH

Asia News NOVEMBER 2017

Singapore, 3 November

2017 - A total of 180 youth

leaders received the

National Youth Achieve-

ment Award (NYAA) Gold

Award from President

Halimah Yacob yesterday.

Among the recipients at the

17th NYAA Gold Award

ceremony were student

leaders (from left)

Muhammad Rahmat Yunos,

19, of Institute of Technical

Education College Central,

Sandy Kee Peng Ping, 22,

of Ngee Ann Polytechnic,

Priscilla Fong Sue Ting, 18,

of the National University

of Singapore, and Raghav

Bhardwaj, 19, of United

World College (UWC) of

South East Asia.

Finance Minister Heng

Swee Keat also attended the

event held at ITE College

East.

In her message to the award

recipients, President

Halimah said: "The future

of Singapore is shaped by

our young people. Youths

are the hope of our nation.

"A society can only flourish

when there is passion,

energy and enthusiasm.

Young people are abound

with these qualities.

Their perspectives of the

world also help unearth

limitless possibilities that

convey a fresh impetus to

the development of our

nation."

This year is the 25th

anniversary of the NYAA.

Gold award recipients are

required to participate in

five areas: service,

adventurous journey, skills,

physical recreation and a

residential project that

benefits the community.

Mr Bhardwaj, for instance,

led a team of his UWC

schoolmates to Indonesia to

promote sustainability and

healthy eating for Bintan's

fishing villages.

They repaired damaged

fishing boats and

repurposed them into

miniature edible gardens.

Ms Fong raised $20,000 in

funds for people with

disabilities through her

project.

[The Straits Times]

SINGAPORE: 180 YOUNG ACHIEVERS RECEIVE AWARDS FROM PRESIDENT HALIMAH

THAILAND: APEC 2017: VOICES OF THE FUTURE ISSUES DECLARATION FOR YOUTH

Bangkok, 12 November

2017 - THE youth

representatives of 17 out of

21 Asia-Pacific Economic

Cooperation (APEC)

member economies adopted

a declaration for youth at

the closing ceremony of

APEC Voices of the Future

2017 in the central province

of Quang Nam on Friday.

In the declaration, the

delegates said they believe

that they will diminish the

disparities between

economies, accelerate

communication, decrease

the cost for new startups,

and generate more

opportunities for young

people through a

communication platform.

They also proposed

developing an online

platform through which past

delegates can mentor and

support future delegates, as

well as a database in which

previous declarations,

proposals and feedback can

be accessed.

They further called upon

leaders of member

economies to support and

consider the

recommendations put forth

in the annual APEC Voices

Youth Declaration.

They additionally appealed

to APEC Leaders to provide

youth from the Asia Pacific

region with opportunities

and platforms to voice their

concerns on issues relating

to education and

employment.

To assist human resources

development in the digital

age, the delegates seek to

enhance adaptability,

education, and employment

through big data and

experiences among member

economies.

The young delegates believe

that educational

advancements and equality

are essential for sustainable

economic development in

the Asia-Pacific region.

“Let us work together to

foster a new dynamism and

a brighter shared future in

the Asia-Pacific region,”

they said in a statement.

APEC Voices of the Future

took place in Da Nang and

the neighbouring province

of Quang Nam

from Monday to Friday on

the sidelines of the APEC

Economic Leaders’ Week,

drawing 180 delegates from

17 APEC economies.

[Inquirer.net]

Europe News NOVEMBER 2017

Tirana, 9 November 2017 -

THE Cooperation and

Development Institute

(CDI) in partnership with

Hanns Seidel Foundation,

organized on the 9th

November 2017, the side

event "Connecting Youth:

the other convergence

engine of Western

Balkans".

The side event was

organized along the Third

Tirana Conference on

Berlin Process that CDI

organizes on 9-10

November in Tirana,

bringing attention on the

youth of the Western

Balkans region and

specifically on youth

connectivity.

The keynote speech was

delivered by the Albanian

National Coordinator for the

Regional Economic Area,

Dr. Milena Harito, who

emphasized the importance

of regional connectivity and

the cooperation at the

political and youth level,

being initiated by the Berlin

Process.

Regional cooperation is an

important tool that can

bring youngsters together

and increase their personal-

development and access to

the labour market.

Following, Alida Vracic

and Matteo Bonomi from

Populari Think Tank,

presented their study "The

rise of the underdog?

Economy of the Western

Balkans".

Their findings suggested

that there is a gap between

the youth of the Western

Balkans and economics,

where the youth in the

region fails to access

economic information,

understand it or contribute

to economic policies of

their own countries.

Thus, the research greatly

contributes to the

socio-economic

development debate of the

region and to the promotion

of a simplified

communication of

economics issues to the

public.

Director of CDI Krisela

Hackaj, and Milica

Skiljevic and Dafina Peci

respectively from the

National Youth Councils of

Serbia and Albania, both

partners of this platform,

presented the online

platform of Western

Balkans Youth Cooperation

Platform (WBYPC) run by

CDI and aiming to

contribute to the needs in

increasing access to youth

data and knowledge,

networking and youth

related activities and events

related.

WBYPC is a tool for youth

organizations, informal

movements or young

individuals to register, find

partners in the region,

suggest project ideas, get

notifications for project

calls related to WB6 youth

or get notified for project

ideas.

Illustrations on the main

functionalities of the

platform were made, and

youngsters were encouraged

to provide suggestions on

how the platform could

better serve the growing

needs for youth exchanges

in the region.

[Western Balkans Youth

Cooperation Platform]

ALBANIA: CONNECTING YOUTH: THE OTHER CONVERGENCE ENGINE OF WESTERN

BALKANS

ITALY: TRAINING SEMINAR ON COMBATING ANTIGYPSYISM AND ONLINE HATE SPEECH

Rome, 13 November 2017 -

THE Youth Department of

the Council of Europe in

partnership with the

National Office Against

Discrimination of Italy and

local partners are launching

a call for Italian participants

for a training seminar on

combating antigypsyism

and online hate speech

which scheduled to be held

in November in Rome,

Italy.

The training seminar will

bring together young

people, youth activists,

educators, youth leaders

working with Roma youth

and others to raise their

competences and develop

proposals to effectively

address discrimination,

antigypsyism and online

hate speech in the Italian

context.

The seminar is organised

under the framework of the

Roma Youth Action Plan of

the Council of Europe and

the National Roma Platform

of the Roma Integration

Strategy in Italy.

[La Stampa]

SWITZERLAND: PROMOTING YOUTH RIGHTS AT THE UN

Geneva, 8 November 2017 -

BRINGING together

representatives of ten youth

organisations, the event

aimed to give young people

tools to access their rights

and develop their capacity

to fight for them. The

participants met with

government representatives,

UN and civil society

stakeholders to advocate for

youth rights.

The capacity building

focused on international

human rights mechanisms

and instruments including

the Universal Periodic

Review and the Special

Procedures, as well as the

Treaty Bodies, which are

responsible for monitoring

States’ implementation of

international human rights

treaties.[1]

The training was provided

by the International Service

for Human Rights (ISHR),

the Centre for Civil and

Political Rights (CCPR

Centre) and UPR Info,

organisations with

experience in supporting

civil society engagement in

UN human rights processes.

The Participants met with

representatives of nine

Permanent Missions

(Austria, Estonia, Ireland,

Finland, FYR Macedonia,

Malta, Moldova, Portugal

and Romania) to raise two

key messages.

Europe News NOVEMBER 2017

The need for a greater focus

on youth in existing

instruments, for example

through youth-specific

recommendations.

Advancing the youth rights

agenda via dedicated tools

and procedures specifically

focused on young people.

Furthermore, participants

met with a representative of

the UN Human Rights

Office (OHCHR), as well as

YWCA World and IIMA

Human Rights Office, two

Geneva-based

organisations.

[Le Matin]

UKRAINE: YOUTH LEARNT INNOVATIVE PRACTICES OF DEMOCRATIZATION AND

ADVOCATING FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

Kiev, 7 November 2017 -

YOUNG people from

different regions of

Ukraine learned to apply

innovative approaches to

carrying out local

initiatives during intense

study visits to Zakarpattia

and to Chernihiv, held

this weekend.

While in Zakarpattia,

youth learnt best practices

of democratization, and

participants of the study

visit to Chernihiv gained

a unique insight into the

core problematic human

rights issues in Ukraine.

Local activists from the

cities of Uzhorod and

Perechyn, Zakarpatska

oblast, discussed recent

trends in civil society

development in the field

of democratization.

Journalists from the

online media “Panorama”

shared their experience of

creating independent

media and raising funds

for its support. Sharing

their experience,

representatives of the

Zakarpattia Youth

Council and staff from

Oblast library inspired

participants to create

projects in cooperation

with NGO partner

organizations.

Also, the youth learned

directly from the founders

about the innovative

on-line project

“Vynohradiv. Transparent

Government”, which

provides access to

digitized records of

decisions of councils

(rural and urban) within

the district since 1991.

Representatives of the

Mukachevo City Council

briefed on a unique

system of e-tickets,

combining both public

transportation and

Mukachevo dweller’s

map with many discounts

on visiting local

museums, castles,

festivals.

In Chernihiv,

representatives from the

NGO “MART”

introduced the

participants to the Human

Rights Based-Approach

(HRBA) in the activities

of civil society

organizations and

initiative groups. Youth

lively discussed burning

human rights issues in

their local communities,

trying to find innovative

solutions.

According to

U-Report polls, 94% of

respondents agreed that

the opinion of young

people and children

should be taken into

account in decision

making.

These study visits were

aimed at equipping young

leaders with the

knowledge and skills to

build fruitful cooperation

with local authorities and

partner with civil society

organizations, influencing

policy- and

decision-making in their

regions.

[http://www.ua.undp.org]

UNITED KINGDOM: YOUTH REPRESENTATIVE TO JOIN NEW UK DEVELOPMENT

London, 3 November 2017 -

RESTLESS Development

has welcomed the UK

Labour Party’s inclusion of

a youth representative on its

new International

Development Task Force.

The task force will advise

Labour on the party’s

approach to international

development, producing a

paper that sets out a

strategic approach to

tackling global poverty,

inequality and climate

change.

Valerie Brese, who

volunteered with Restless

Development on the

International Citizen

Service (ICS) programme,

will take on the role of

youth representative.

The group forms a key

strand of the party’s

ambition to meet the

Sustainable Development

Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

Valerie studied Social

Policy with Government at

the London School of

Economics and has been a

social researcher for the

Childhood Trust.

Her ICS placement was in

Tanzania, where she

worked across issues of

sexual and reproductive

health and rights, as well as

livelihoods, employability

and civic participation.

Since returning to the UK,

she has been a strong

advocate for youth

empowerment and currently

works for LSE Residential

Services.

She said: “We have nearly

one billion young people all

across the globe entering

the job market in the next

10 years.

Young people need jobs.

We have teachers, doctors,

entrepreneurs, youth

activists and academic

professors ready and eager

to work.

They want to build their

nation for a better future.

This is just one of many

issues that I want to raise

with the Labour Party.

I hope to push young people

to the very front of Labour's

agenda and ensure that

young people are included

in every aspect of their vi-

sion."

Europe News NOVEMBER 2017

Catriona Currie, Senior

Campaigns Manager at

Restless Development,

added: “It’s fantastic to see

the Labour Party take this

important step towards

ensuring young people are

at the heart of their

international development

strategy.

Restless Development will

continue to work with the

UK Labour party and all

other political parties to

ensure that young people

have the power to lead their

own development.”

Chaired by Shadow

Secretary of State for

International Development

Kate Osamor, the task force

will meet regularly between

now and March 2018, at

which point the final paper

will be published.

[Restlessdevelopment.org]

Pacific News NOVEMBER 2017

AUSTRALIA: CITI BROADENS YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT SCHEME

Canberra, 5 September

2017 - CITI Australia plans

to help 1800 young people

find jobs by spending an

extra $1.5 million on its

Pathway to Progress

program, which runs

globally but kicked off

locally in 2015.

The money will be

distributed to various

organisations as grants to

help them to run

employment initiatives,

with the Brotherhood of

Saint Laurence, Foundation

for Young Australians and

The Smith Family among

recipients.

Through the program, some

Citi employees also

voluntarily act as mentors,

coaches and role models to

young people.

Australia's youth

unemployment rate is

around 13 per cent - based

on 15 to 24-year-olds

compared to the general

unemployment rate of 5.6

per cent.

Launching the program,

Treasurer Scott Morrison

said mentors are vital to

helping more unemployed

young Australians find jobs

and remain employed.

Mr Morrison stressed the

importance of mentors

while launching the

expansion of a program run

by global financial services

group Citi to help

disadvantaged young people

find work.

Mr Morrison said growing

the economy will help bring

that figure down.

"We are seeing the

economy grow, we are

seeing improved signs com-

ing through, particularly

most recently," he said.

[The Sydney Morning Her-

ald]

Suva, 19 November 2017 -

THE Fiji Labour Party will

put in place a national youth

service scheme that its party

leader Mahendra Chaudhry

said would be able to

provide more employment

opportunities for youths.

"Our manifesto, we have

been proposing the creation

of national youth service

scheme. And that is very

important because you've

got to find a way of keeping

this people employed in

some capacity," Mr

Chaudhry said.

"They just can't be idle

because that is going to be

disastrous. You've got to

keep them engaged, keep

them employed until a time

they are able to gain

maturity to keep them out of

trouble."

He said the country needed

a strategy similar to the one

mentioned as it would

ensure the utilisation of

youths in all areas

especially in trade.

"The national youth

services scheme will take in

youths between the ages of

18 and 23, for a three-year

period, give them a stipend

on which they can live and

provide them necessary

training to be able to enter

the employment market.

"This will not cost too

much, we have to invest in

our youths, we have to do

something for these people

who cannot enter university

or do not have any

inclination for academic

studies but are skilful in

other trades."

[The Fiji Times Online]

FIJI: YOUTH SCHEME

GUAM: YOUTH SURFERS COMPETE

Hagåtña, 15 November

2017 - THE Guam Hui

Nalu Ocean Club held the

Billabong Manahak Jr. Surf

Competition, sponsored by

DNA Evolution, at the

Onward Beach Resort .

More than 75 youths

competed in five divisions,

including Noa Bay Aguilar.

At the award ceremony,

Guahan Napu Vice

President Steve Shimizu

and sergeant-at-arms Jude

Baker presented Joe and

Hidemi Villatora with a

plaque of recognition and

appreciation for their years

of support and effort in

developing youth surfing on

Guam.

[Pacific Daily News]

SAMOA: KEEP OUR YOUTH HERE TO WORK THE LAND

Apia, 16 November 2017 -

DESPITE the challenges,

Samoa is no doubt still the

land of milk and honey.

Talking to the Village

Voice team yesterday,

Ulisese T. Ioane, he is

grateful to be living in

Samoa.

But he said we needed to

invest in our resources by

having young people work

on what we have.

Mr. Ioane said he did not

support the idea of our

people sending strong

young men to work in

overseas countries when

they could just stay in

Samoa and work on our

land instead.

He says people are not

patient which is why they

always apply for overseas

jobs instead of here.

Mr. Ioane says when we

work our plantations, it

takes five to six months

until harvest, which is

usually a long period of

time and a lot of us need to

make money to make it

through to the next day.

“It is understandable that it

is our nature as human

beings that we get impatient

and we would end up

looking for other ways to

earn a living,” he said.

The 57-year-old said we

would benefit if we worked

our land.

Pacific News NOVEMBER 2017

“You can still work our land

and earn a living but at the

same time you will be able

to still spend time with your

loved ones instead of going

overseas to work where you

will be able to receive easy

cash but you would not be

able to see your family,” he

said.

Mr. Ioane said he used to

live in Sala’ilua, Savaii,

where he used to work in

the plantation but despite

moving to Vaitele-Fou, he

is still able to make a living

from his plantation.

[Samoa Observer]

VANUATU: VANUATU HOPES OF BATTLING YOUTH CRIME ON NATIONAL IDS

Port Vila, 18 September

2017 - Vanuatu is cracking

down on underage drinking

and youth crime by

introducing national

identification cards.

The minister for Internal

Affairs Alfred Maoh says

the number of violent

incidents and criminal

activities in and around Port

Vila has increased.

Mr Maoh told Koro

Vaka'uta a lot of the crime

and misbehaviour can be

attributed to young people

having easy access to

alcohol.

[Radio New Zealand]

PRESIDENT

VICE PRESIDENTS

SECRETARY GENERAL

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

MR. BELMAMI ABDEL

JALAL (Morocco)

MR. SESUN JEE

(Korea)

MISS BLAGICA PETROVA

(The FYR of Macedonia)

MR. MUESEE KAZAPUA

(Namibia)

MISS SIMONE PHILIP

(Trinidad and Tobago)

MISS EDIOLA PASHOLLARI (Albania)

RT. HON. DATUK SERI IR. IDRIS HARON (Malaysia)

MR. MUNKHBAT

AYUSH (Mongolia)

MR. HUSSEIN

AL-AHMED (Yemen)

MR.PREYE KETEBU

BROWN (Nigeria) MR.BENEDICE

LOUIS (Botswana)

MR.MOHAMED

ALWANE (Libya)

MISS LEYLA ISRAFILOVA

(Azerbaijan)

MR. MOESTAPA M. RADJA

(Indonesia)